Thousands flock to downtown Auburn for Black & White Ball

Auburn sure knows how to throw a party.Organizers of Saturday's Black & White Ball say the 14th annual festivity in downtown Auburn was safe, successful and had a turnout on par to previous years.Bruce Cosgrove, executive director of the Auburn Chamber of Commerce, said Sunday although exact numbers had yet to be tallied, by Friday more than 5,000 tickets had been sold. Ticket sales on the Internet and at local outlets on Saturday were hopping, he said."Whether it be 5,000 or 7,000, it was a success," Cosgrove said. "Everybody had a good time."Last year's ball had close to 6,000 people in attendance.Auburn Police Sgt. Scott Burns said the night was a relatively quiet one for law enforcement. He said the Auburn Police made four arrests - two for alcohol-related incidents, one for fighting and another was a "cite and release with a promise to appear" on a warrant violation.Exact figures on how many drunken driving arrests will be available later in the week, after statistics are released by California Highway Patrol, Placer County Sheriffs Department, State Parks, and Rocklin and Roseville police officials assigned to patrol the event, Burns said. Cosgrove said he hadn't heard of any major medical incidents related to Saturday's ball.Longtime Black & White Ball attendees say they are always pleasantly amazed to have such a great time in such a peaceful setting. "I'm impressed. For the size of the crowd it is, it's so well behaved," said Virginia Young, a Meadow Vista resident who's gone to the ball for the last 13 years. "It says a lot about the town of Auburn. It's just impressive for 5,000 (or more) people to be so well behaved."The evening's pleasant weather likely kept the crowd happy, Cosgrove said.Temperatures stayed pleasant throughout the night, but cooled off around 11:30 p.m. just in time to soothe sweaty dancers, he said.The logistics behind the festival are always impressive.Cosgrove said more than 105 business helped sponsor the event along with the annual golf tournament and this year's wine tour to raise funds.Twenty-seven local restaurants and caterers kept serving food until 1 a.m. while four live bands left the crowd rocking. There were more than 100 portable toilets set up in downtown.One of the impressive aspects of the ball is the speedy cleanup that follows.A quick drive through downtown's streets at 8 a.m. showed nary a trace of the previous night's festivities. Cosgrove said without the help of more than 400 volunteers, there wouldn't be Black & White Ball or a clean town the next day."The volunteers manage and inspire and keep it upbeat for all of us that were there enjoying the event," Cosgrove said. "There are literally hundreds people behind the scenes."The Journal's Ryan Sabalow can be reached at ryans@goldcountrymedia.com.